She
by JMHaughey
Summary: Gibbs may have met his match. Set sometime during his hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**Still shot: Girl (with back to the camera) holding up a beverage; Gibbs looking at girl smiling, clinks glass**

It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

But there she was, sitting in this remote cantina drinking a bourbon. Not a fruity drink with an umbrella or beer with lime. Just bourbon. In a little place like this, she stood out.

'Bourbon?' I casually ask, knowing beforehand what it is.

'Wow! You're good, you been watching me?' She says back jokingly

'You _are _the only other one in here drinking alone'

'Ouch! You're a charmer, aren't ya sir?'

'Don't call me sir, it's just Gibbs'.

'So, just Gibbs, guess I won't be drinking alone now?' She says sheepishly as she signals _another round _to the bartender. 'By the way, I'm Julia'

'Looks that way, Julia,' then I down my bourbon and signal for yet another round.

NCIS

I wake up in a bit of a fog, trying to piece together what the hell happened last night. A Marine should always know what happened. Rule number. . . Not a rule yet, it should be. Damn.

_I can picture DiNozzo now, smirking, saying to himself 'Nice, Boss' – followed by me swatting the back of his head saying 'Focus, DiNozzo'_

Something stirs next to me. 'Morning, just Gibbs', she says quietly.

'Umm. Morning, Jules.' First things first, coffee. 'Want some coffee?' I ask as I get up and put some shorts on.

'Sounds good, you gonna come back to bed?' she asks as she stretches.

I don't answer. I just leave the room.

'Morning, Probie, what the hell happened to you? You look like shit,' Franks says sitting at the kitchen table, smoking and drinking coffee. As she walks to kitchen, I mumble, 'Worth it'.

I fill up the two coffee mugs and head to the beach. She follows silently.

'So, just Gibbs. . .', she starts. Here we go, she thinks we're going to discuss this. 'Thanks for not making me drink alone and for letting share your comfy bed.'

I nod. 'My pleasure.'

We finish our coffee in silence.

She gets up, gives me a quick peck on the cheek and says, 'Hope to see again soon, just Gibbs. You know where to find me.'

Shaking my head. 'I do. Meet you for a bourbon tomorrow night, Jules.' She smiles real big then turns and says 'Eight o'clock.' She's gone.

That was not the way I pictured the conversation going. Usually, they want to talk feelings and all that. She's different. I like that. I think I'm in trouble.

Franks comes out to the beach, cigarette hanging from his lips, saying, 'I hope you know what you're doing, Probie.'

'I wish I did'

**Still shot: Gibbs shaking his head at Franks**


	2. Chapter 2

**Still shot: Gibbs and Franks turn to see Jules approaching. They just turn back to drinking, watching the fire. **

'You're back early', I say, looking up. Happy to see her but she looks exhausted.

She grabs my beer, takes a swig and hands it back to me with a nod, says 'just Gibbs, Franks. . .'

I notice Franks finish his beer quickly and mutter, 'You're not having this'

'T-shirt, again, really?' I hand her my sweatshirt.

She shrugs, looks at me and says, 'Thanks, just Gibbs.' She begins,'They make everything up north much more complicated than it should be. Like I said before, I'm not sure why we have to go through this ordeal every two weeks. Food and supplies come in, o essentially all we should have to is pick it up, bring it back to the villages, disperse it and begin the cycle over again.'

'Yeah, but this interference happens in your line of work, doesn't make it right.'

Big sigh. 'I know, I know. I've seen before, in Rwanda and Haiti, doesn't make it easier. My concern is that one of these days we may not get anything. These people depend on us.', she remarks with a defeated look on her face.

Standing up, I reach for her hands, pull her to her feet, hug her and whisper, 'Let's not think about it for now.' Despite the sweatshirt, her hands was icy. I lead her into the house.

NCIS

She climbs into bed, still wearing my sweatshirt. 'Just Gibbs, can I ask you something?'

'What's on your mind?' Not sure where this is going.

'Tell me about your life before you came here. I know the you and Franks connection, beyond that, not too much.'

'Not much to tell. Marine, married 4 times, divorced 3, NCIS agent for 20 years. Decided to retire. So here I am. You?' I never told anyone intentionally about Shannon and Kelly. Or how I got revenge and killed Hernandez. After the coma, the team knew about my family. I miss them everyday. My gut tells me this is. . .that she is different. Hasn't been wrong yet, besides those 3 other marriages.

'Parents are doctors, they go between hospitals and rural care facilities. Wanted me follow in their footsteps so I became a lawyer, instead. Knew I didn't want to deal with corporate world. Funny though because it seems like a government is exactly that. I like the nomadic lifestyle, spending a few months here and there. Too busy for anything else besides the occasional bourbon.' She smirks.

'Tell me.'

'What?'

'About the other wife? Something must have happened.'

'Shannon and Kelly were killed in 1991. I was serving in the Persian Gulf. Not a moment goes by I don't think of them.' My eyes fill.

She tries to speak, instead I feel her squeeze my hand.

**Still shot: Jules holding Gibbs**** hand. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Still shot: Gibbs notices a different coffee bag on the counter. He smiles.**

She walks into the kitchen, grabs her coffee mug and puts it next to mine, leans on my shoulder and says, 'Fill'er up'

I pour it.

She takes a sip, glances at a coffee bag, turns and looks at me, rolls her eyes while saying, 'I know. Rule number 23'

I just laugh and pull her closer, 'Morning, Jules.'

'Morning, just Gibbs. Well, you did say you liked the coffee at my place.'

'I should be back by Friday at the latest. You won't have enough time to finish my blend.' She smiles.

'Thinking maybe should wait to go back up there. '

'Just Gibbs. . . I can't wait, I have to. People are depending on me. You never complained before', she shoots me the _you won't win this one _look.

'Just looking out for you, Jules', I say

'You should know by now, I'm quite capable of taking care of myself.' She huffs yet kisses me.

I just nod.

NCIS

4 days.

She wasn't back yet.

For once, I didn't want to be right.

Not here.

Not now.

Not with her.

**Still shot: Gibbs throwing away the empty bag of Jules' coffee.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Still Shot: Franks and two others in deep conversation with Gibbs. Gibbs has a blank stare.**

I just stared at the coffee maker. Nothing was sinking in.

What the hell happened? How and why did this happen? What are they trying to tell _me_?

'Kidnapped. . . Hostage. . . It is politics around here, the way of life. . .', I became aware of the conversation around me, 'There was nothing we could do to stop her. You know what she's like, Gibbs?. . . Earth to Gibbs. Gibbs.' That brought me back.

'We need to get her back. Sitting here, talking isn't going to solve anything.' I retort.

The whole reason I retired was to get away from this. She has to know I'm going to fix this. Get her out. I can't lose her too.

'Make the call. It may be the only chance we have.' Franks suggests while taking another drag of his cigarette, 'What are you waiting for, Probie?'

I stood up and walked out the door. I didn't see the point of talking anymore.

NCIS

'Jethro, come to get your job back?' Jenny looks up from her desk.

I ignore her question and get on with it.

'I need the team to come to Mexico. Missing person. 4 days. Possible hostage situation. Works for a rural health care organization.'

'You know we don't this, Jethro. Picking and choosing who needs to be rescued. Isn't that rule number 10, never get personally involved in a case.' She says adding, 'You breaking your own rules now?'

'Come on Jen', I mutter, 'That's rule I've always had most trouble with.'

'Jethro, you love her, don't you?'

I shake my head and say, 'I have to get her back'

'Then do it'

NCIS

'Uhhh, Boss! What are you doing here?'

'Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, you're back?' Abby exclaims while she practically jumps on me giving me a hug.

'Nice to see you, Boss'

'Gibbs?'

'Mexico? Reminds me of Spring Break with my frat broooos. Beach, beer, ladies . . . '

'What have I said about the phrase, _Spring Break, _DiNozzo?' I smack his head mid-sentence. I missed that.

DiNozzo pats the back of his head. 'Thanks, Boss'

'I need you to focus. Grab your gear, we're going to Mexico. Now.'

Walking to the elevator. 'Abbs, we'll be in touch.' I sign thank you.

'Does the Director know about this? It's out of our jurisdiction, unless she's military family', Ziva remarks

'Ya think, Ziver?'

I have their attention. I start rattling off all her information. The team is trying to keep up with me.

'Julia Kathleen Buchman-Hall, age 31 has been missing for 4 days. She told me she'd be back Friday, if she was going to be late, her team would have told me. She is the Project Coordinator for Partners-In-Health. She's in charge of health care mobilization for 3 different rural communities in Central Mexico. Every 2 weeks, she is gone for 2 days to get supplies and food. I stop for a second, then bark orders, 'When we land, McGee, computer. DiNozzo and Ziva, go to her place and talk to Jose. Find something.'

How do I stop this from getting personal?

'Boss, ummm, have to ask this but why are you so concerned about this thirty-one year old girl?'

I guess it's too late. I start to speak, 'She's a friend'

The team looks around. Tony mutters, 'Ex-wife number 5'

'Something you want to say, Tony?'

'Uh . . . no offense Boss, but we. . . I am interested in why a pretty young woman would want to spend all her time with one Leroy Jethro Gibbs?'

'Still asking myself that same question'

DiNozzo continues to talk. . . 'Reminds me of Michael Douglas and much younger bride, Catherine Zeta-Jones, who always looks great, like _Chicago, The Mask of Zorro _and _Ocean's Twelve. _And Douglas, who doesn't love _Wall Street_ bad-ass Gordon Gecko. . .Hmmm, maybe I should I move to down here. . .'

'Maybe, you should' I say resisting the urge to smack him.

**Still shot: McGee, DiNozzo, Ziva and Gibbs setting up at Franks' house. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Still Shot: A young man dressed in his Marine uniform, waiting on train platform with a redhead. **

"I have a rule. . . it's either rule number one or number three. Never date a lumberjack"

"You have a rule for everything?"

"Working on it, everyone needs a code they can live by."

"What's your name?"

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs"

"I'm just gonna call you Gibbs."

"You can call me anything you want."

"I'm Shannon."

NCIS

It never leaves. Not really.

I remember seeing her around Stillwater. She worked in a boutique. I knew I had it bad when I just looked at her with a big shit-eating grin and she smiled back. That was enough for me. The first time I met Shannon and talked to her I was 18 years old. All dressed in my uniform, pack all ready to get the next train to Washington, DC. She was leaving, too. We ending up sitting together and chatted the entire route. Well, mostly she talked and I listened. I knew I shouldn't let her go. So, I didn't.

I sat at the beach on a big rock where waves crashed. In my hand, my gun. I had nothing left to live for. My wife and daughter gone. And I was half-way across the world serving my country. The war ended the day they died. There are no such thing as coincidences. I thought about pulling the trigger. I didn't think I could live in a world where my family didn't exist. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't pull the trigger. I had to get the bastard who took my family away. So, I did.

Never again would I touch her, smell her, hold her, look into her eyes, tell her secrets, hug her, kiss her, make love to her, talk to her, sleep next to her, drink coffee with her, or laugh with her.

Even with the ever present memories of my beloved Shannon, I tried to move on. Three times. Yeah, they weren't her. I know that. I didn't want to let them in on my secret. I protecting her memory and my heart by just remembering. I couldn't let her go. So, I didn't.

It's different yet the same.

She knows everything. She stays. She says nothing. She doesn't need to. I can't let her go. So I don't

NCIS

"Hey, uh, Boss. . .we found something, well not something." McGee clears this throat to get my attention.

"What?" I say coming back to reality

"What McEloquent's trying to say is that we got solid lead and we know where she is. ," DiNozzo interjects quickly.

"Finally! Grab your gear. Let's go." I bark as I'm practically in the truck.

**Still shot: Gibbs and Ziva sitting in the truck cab while McGee and DiNozzo are jumping into the bed as the truck is leaving. **


End file.
